


Home is where I find You

by Kayndred



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Godling!Tony, Magic, Witcher 3, Witcher Lore, tweaked witcher lore, we just don't know, what is bucky?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 20:54:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7453621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayndred/pseuds/Kayndred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James is a fascination of Anthony’s. Anthony is... not an irritant to James. If they're lucky, maybe they'll survive each other, the winter, the wolves, the monsters, the witches, scared towns people, whatever the hell is wrong with James, and whoever is chasing him. And by extension Tony.</p><p>Oh yeah, and they have to find 'Steve'. Or Steven. Stephen?</p><p>Somewhere, someone is fighting to keep the world from turning into a ball of frost and ice. Over here, Tony just wants James to get a good nights sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home is where I find You

James is a fascination of Anthony’s.

His innocence is not that of a child, and sometimes it repels Anthony, makes him feel like he’s eaten too many sweets or swallowed something rotten. James is also rarely happy, although since Tony found him in the ice beyond Kaer Trolde he’s been... less angry.

It helps, perhaps, that Tony is the way he is: he darts off into danger and curiosities like a wayward hound pup, dragging James along with him. There’s little time for James to brood when Tony insists on sticking his nose in every magical thing they find, perpetually curious and often putting himself in danger. Tony seems to attract trouble the way James attracts spirits, and there’s little doubt in Tony’s mind that the latter comes from James’ left arm.

No one, after all, has ever heard of a man branded with the witcher Signs.

Tony crouches close to the arm, hands tucked into his knees to refrain from touching. In the fire light the brands glow silver, the many lines connecting the witcher Signs flickering. During the day they are dull, like a tarnished spade, and James covers them with his armor. But at night, especially in the summer, he shrugs off his chain mail and his spaulders to sleep, allowing Tony to lean close and examine.

They feel old, those silver Signs. Sometimes they smell of blood, but blood so inundated with magic that Tony prickles and itches all over. The silver lines are no thicker than his little finger, but they cover James’ arm so thoroughly and cross each other so many times that Tony can’t see the true skin beneath, even on his fingers. And over it all a spiral in black, wrapping from his shoulder down.

Tony wonders if James remembers the process, if James can even see the signs. No one whose ever seen James’ arm has commented on them, although few of that number have lived. Tony thinks they are truer magic than most, a purer form of chaos, only he doesn’t know what that means for James.

“Ste-!”

Tony startles, jumping back and raising his hands. James rarely speaks in his sleep, and most times it’s nonsense to Tony. Something about flight, or falling. Sometimes even conversations that seem like memories, and Tony pays particular attention to those because James sounds happy.

Once he even smiled.

But Tony has never heard James sound so grief-stricken, so afraid. He smells of it, of fear-sweat and nerves, and the Aard, Axii and Yrden Signs glow against his arm, their connecting paths radiating chill. Frost spreads from where his fisted hand rests against the ground, and when Tony touches it with his finger it shocks and chills him.

James makes no more noise that night, but the frost takes hours to fade and the magic that burns across his arm keeps Tony on edge until dawn, when he leaves to forage for part of their breakfast. When he returns James is awake, and Tony says nothing. They never speak of James’ nightmares, or what little Tony may or may not do to avail him of them.

Sometimes Tony tries, and James’ magic makes it worse. He learns to pick his battles.

“Come, Anthony.” James calls from the horse. Tony blinks, at the remnants of their camp, at the heavy clouds in the distance. At James’ arm, now covered by sleeve and gauntlet.

“I told you, no one calls me Anthony.” He quips, scrambling up behind James. The wind carries a chill he doesn’t like, so he tucks himself against James’ back, beneath his cloak. “Except old mothers, and snoots. And you know I don’t associate with snoots.”

James moves their horse into a walk, but Tony can feel the change in his mood. James rarely smiles around Tony, but he doesn’t have to. Tony always knows.

**Author's Note:**

> Witcher 3 has been played around me a lot recently, and I'm a sucker for magic, mystery, angst, Bucky and Tony (especially Tony). Just a little blurb, might write more.


End file.
